Challenge: To trim down the grocery bills by at least 33%

According to the US Department of Labor, the average American family of four spends $8,513 per year on groceries. This statistic breaks down to $177 per person a month. My family is not the traditional nuclear family. In addition to me and my husband, we have four children -- three teenagers, a two-year-old, and a mother-in-law. Applying the above figures, our grocery bill for a family of seven should approximate to $1239 per month. And astonishingly, it has regularly fluctuated in the range of $1000- $1300. My goal is to trim this monthly pile of receipts down to $830,(including diapers, wipes, hygiene products, and restaurant bills) if not less. Being able to frugally feed my nutrition-conscious husband and appease the voracious appetites of my teenagers will be my main challenge!

Saturday, April 16, 2011

An Almost Free Gift

I finally was able to indulge in Haagen-Daz without feeling guilty.  A weekly special at Stop and Shop had them for 2 for $6.  Without a coupon, I went ahead and purchased four out of curiosity for a special advertisement given to me with one of my register receipts -- Buy $10 of Haagen-Daz products and get a FREE $20 red Envelope Gift Purchase" in one transaction from 4/1-5/31.  (This offer presumably is still good for anyone till end of May, but perhaps only at Stop and Shop).

I was simply curious, knowing well ahead that one can not get anything really free; that it was most likely a gimmick of some sort and that items offered in exchange for the gift certificate were most likely over-priced.  True to this, when I went to the www.redenvelope.com/icecream website with my thank-you code for a $20 gift certificate, I ended up looking at jewelry and other gift items in the $30-60 range. 

However, the website is also affiliated with Pro-Flowers and other websites.  As I clicked on Pro-Flowers, I did see some packages costing $19.99.  I ended up selecting a pound of fudge, sending it to my mom across the country.  I figured I would have to pay for shipping and handling, but it turned out that by signing up for a special program (which I can cancel anytime within one month), I would get the shipping cost for my order for free through a rebate. 

My gift, which turned out to be a unique and sweet surprise for her, was not free.  I had to pay 53 cents for tax, but it was well worth it, especially since it gave me an excuse to buy my favorite pistachio ice cream pints (so much better than Ben and Jerry's!!).

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